Bahrain court orders airline to pay compensation for flight cancellation

TDT | Manama                                 

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain's High Appeals Court has ordered an airline company to compensate three passengers with BD2,132 each for the cancellation and one-day delay of their flight. The court stated that the Montreal Convention established a compensation of 4,150 units, valued at the above amount.

The plaintiffs' lawyer claimed that they had booked round-trip airline tickets with the company but were surprised when their flight was rescheduled for the next day, forcing them to bear additional expenses for accommodation, transportation, and food.

The company refused to compensate them for these costs. The plaintiffs' representative filed a lawsuit seeking a judgment to obligate the company to pay each of them BD2,132, along with legal fees and attorney fees.

However, the court ruled that the company should pay only BD300 to each claimant. Dissatisfied with the ruling, the plaintiffs appealed the decision. The company's representative requested the court not to accept the lawsuit, arguing that the travel agency had been notified since that date.

The plaintiffs' lawyer referred to Articles 19 and 22 of the Montreal Convention, which state that a passenger's claim against the air carrier for delay in transportation is a compensation claim based on the principles and criteria established by the convention, not exceeding the maximum limit set therein, which is 4,150 special drawing rights per passenger.